What happens to federal election campaign signs in Yukon post-election?
Fruit baskets and birdhouses some of the potential fates for the campaign signs
Their smiling, static faces stared us down for weeks. Now, they're being collected and, in most candidates' cases, being given indefinite stays in their respective storage rooms.
But there are other ideas out there for the thousands of federal election campaign signs in Yukon.
"One person asked if they could have them so they could make fruit baskets out of them," said Brad Weston, campaign manager for recently re-elected Liberal MP Larry Bagnell.
He said there has also been some interest from the organizing team of the 2020 Arctic Winter Games, which will be held in Whitehorse, regarding potentially using the signs for showing scores.
Weston said Bagnell's campaign team bought about 500 new signs and reused about another 500 from Bagnell's 2015 run.
"Sometimes people, individually, reuse them for chicken coops, gardens, birdhouses — all kinds of things. People are very creative in that respect," said Anne Tayler, campaign manager for NDP candidate Justin Lemphers.
His campaign team has about 1,140 signs, including some of different sizes.
"We planned how we would deal with signs from the beginning to make sure that they would be reusable and recyclable," Tayler said.
"We have the recycling codes on the signs."
Signs that are printed only on one side can be donated to early childhood education facilities for kids to use them for crafts and such, she said. The frames for the signs will be made available for use by non-profit groups and others.
Lemphers's signs could also be reused, with modifications, should he run for territorial office, Tayler said.
Lenore Morris, the Green Party candidate, said her campaign had hundreds of signs — some of which are compostable.
She said she used a sign from a former territorial government MLA as a topper for her aquarium for two years.
Morris said she's keeping her signs in storage should she run for public office again, though she's a fan of finding ways to reuse signs.
Campaign managers Tayler and Weston said their respective candidates are keeping their signs in storage for the same reason.
"Realistically, we don't know how long it will be before the next federal election," Tayler said, noting the minority nature of the incoming federal government.
The other two Yukon candidates' campaign teams did not respond to CBC's interview requests.